Final Choices
by Ember Nickel
Summary: It's Light versus Dark in a chess game to decide the fate of the universe.
1. Character List

(I cowrote this story with Hergan, a fellow FFN writer.)

(Since many of the characters in this story may be unfamiliar, this is where they're from.)

Crabbe (Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling)  
Goyle (Harry Potter, Rowling)  
Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter, Rowling)  
Hulls (The Naming, Alison Croggon)  
Fary Godmother (Shek II, movie)  
The Ice Witch (The Naming, Croggon)  
Winterking (The Naming, Croggon)  
The Four Sisters (Dragons of Deltora, Emily Roda)  
Thread (DragonRiders of Pern, Anne McCaffery)  
Wolfjackals (Magickers, Emily Drake)  
Jonnard (Magickers, Drake)  
Dr. Madden (All My Childern, TV series/ headwriterMcTavish)  
Chromatic Dragons (DragonLance, started by Margerate Weiss and Tracy  
Hickman)  
Lucius Malfoy (Harry Potter, Rowling)  
Capricorn (Inkheart, Corneilia Funke)  
Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet, Shakespere)  
Kludd (Gaurdians of Ga'Hoole, Kathryn Lasky)  
The Ilse Witch (Shannara, Terry Brooks)  
Tigerstar (Warriors, Erin Hunter)  
Darth Vader (Star Wars, movie series)  
Visser Three (Animorphs, K. A. Applegate)  
Isabella (Magickers, Drake)  
Raistlin Majere (DragonLance, Weiss and Hickman)  
Maddoc (DragonLance, Weiss and Hickman)  
Brennard (Magickers, Drake)  
Dakar (Origional Character)  
Shadow Lord (Deltora Quest and sequals, Roda)  
Takhisis (DragonLance, Weiss and Hickman)  
The Nameless (The Naming, Croggon)  
Voldemort (Harry Potter, Rowling)  
Warlock Lord (Shannara, Terry Brooks)

Charlie Eppes (NUMB3RS, TV series)  
Kendall Hart-Slater (All My Childern, McTavish)  
Rachel (Animorphs, Appelgate)  
Deja (Circle of Magic and sequals, Tamora Pierce)  
Sir Dinadin (The Balad of Sir Dinadin, Gerald Morris)  
Holly Short (Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer)  
Sindri Suncatcher (DragonLance, Weiss and Hickman)  
Ember Nickel (Real Life)  
Soren (Gaurdians of Ga'Hoole, Kathryn Lasky)  
Bluestar (Warriors, Erin Hunter)  
Jasmine (Deltora Quest and sequals, Roda)  
Ellen (The Silver Crown, Robert C. O'Brien)  
Maerad (The Naming, Croggon)  
Lessa and Ramoth (DragonRiders of Pern, Anne McCaffrey)  
Jason Albright (Magickers, Drake)  
Cho Chang (Harry Potter, Rowling)

Melinda the Mental Marvel (Chip's Challenge, computer game)  
Selenity Dreeb (Outernet series, Steve Barlow & Steve Skidmore)  
Reepicheep (Narnia series, C. S. Lewis)  
Jennifer T. Rideout (Summerland, Michael Chabon)  
Moraine Damodred (Wheel of Time series, Robert Jordan)  
Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars, movie series)  
Ender Wiggin (Ender's Game (and related), Orson Scott Card)  
Rachel (Animorphs series, K. A. Applegate)  
Mountain climber (Excelsior, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)  
Jimmy Blake (Casey at the Bat, Ernest Lawrence Thayer)  
El Gato (Keeper, Mal Peet)  
Jonas (The Giver, Lois Lowry)  
Noren (Children of the Star trilogy, Sylvia Louise Engdahl)  
Meg Murry (A Wrinkle In Time and sequels, Madeleine L'Engle)  
Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, movie)  
Benny Rodriguez (The Sandlot, movie)

alien (Quarantine, Arthur C. Clarke) Andy Mitchell (Pendragon series, D. J. Machale)  
Sirrus and Achenar (Myst series, computer games)  
War (Discworld series, Terry Pratchett)  
Asmodean (Wheel of Time series, Jordan)  
Asleif (The Viking series, Christopher Tebbetts)  
Hergan (real life)  
king (n/a: inspired by Ecthroi, Wrinkle in Time and sequels, L'Engle)  
Drode (Animorphs series, Applegate)  
Sparky (Streets of Fire, computer game)  
Abominable Snowman (SkiFree, computer game)  
Trogdor (Peasant's Quest, computer game)  
Zigu (Outcast of Redwall, Brian Jacques)  
Ziggy (The Demented Cartoon Movie, internet)  
Short Shrift (The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster)  
Macnair (Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling)

Flynn (Casey at the Bat, Thayer)  
Mazer Rackham (Ender's Game and related, Card)


	2. The Prologue

Once every few millennia, Light and Dark sit down for a chess game.

Yes, they get bored of it. But Dark isn't up for soccer, Light can't handle football, and neither of them want the fate of the universe to be decided by their loss at a math tournament.

Light picks its roster very carefully, taking the sixteen individuals that best fit the positions it needs. Unfortunately, this time around it failed to draft for compatibility.

"But I want to be a knight!" Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film pouted.

"You haven't done anything to prove yourself yet," Ender Wiggin replied. "You can be a knight's pawn."

"Could I get promoted?"

"Maybe."

"Fine," he sulked. "So which are my choices?"

"Uh, Reepicheep and Jennifer."

"Jennifer _T_!" Ender was corrected by the knight in question.

"Um, sure."

"A damsel and a…" Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film gazed over to b1. "Where's the other knight?"

"I am here, sire!" Reepicheep tried to raise his sword to salute Ender, but couldn't.

"A…mouse?"

"Mouse? Leafy!" Selenity Dreeb came over to examine Reepicheep, and picked up his tail. "Nice cord. Biosynthetic?"

"Not _that_ kind of mouse…" Melinda the Mental Marvel laughed. "It's a creature."

"Whoa. More aliens?" Selenity looked around at the rest of the team. "All of you are the same species?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film looked over at the only character who looked even remotely like his description of a knight: male, grown, and armed. "Do you have a pawn yet?"

"Uh, no."

"May I be your pawn?"

Anakin looked over to Ender, who shrugged. "Okay."

"So when do we start?" the impatient queen asked. "I'm ready to kick dark butt."

"When the pawns line up." Ender looked up at the sky. "Could be a while."

"Well, can't they just…line up?"

"But there's lots of different orders. If they're all as picky as this guy, we might be in for a long wait."

"Okay, let me do this." Rachel turned to the pawns. "Anybody who doesn't want to be mutilated by a grizzly, get on a square."

With the exception of Ender, Rachel, Anakin, and Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Film, everyone crowded onto a2: the square that would be occupied by the Light farthest away from Rachel.

"Can't you take a joke? No? Okay, whatever. Spread out, I want to get started."

"I think we should use a different strategy." Ender walked over to a2 himself. "Okay…rooks first. Raise your hands?" He noticed four-armed Selenity. "One'll do. Okay…" He surveyed the pawns, and pointed to a young man in a flashy jersey. "El Gato, right?"

He nodded.

"You're Melinda's. B8, go." Ender turned to another young man. He was also in a jersey, but this one much plainer. "Uh…Blake?"

"Jimmy. Blake."

"Stay here. Selenity, you're behind him. Everyone else over this way…Reepicheep? Your pawn can be this guy." Ender nodded towards a banner-holder.

"Hello." Reepicheep solemnly extended a paw in greeting.

His pawn looked down and nodded. "I will defend you to the death."

"It would be my honor to die for my serf."

Ender looked warily at them. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill each other off before we started." He moved on. "Anakin has his…Ah. Rachel's square." He looked at Jonas, not much older than Ender himself. "Is Rachel going to be able to handle you?"

Jonas stared back, confused. "You mean can I handle her?"

"No." Ender did not give him the privilege of a response and moved to his own pawn's square. "Eh, don't care. Who's left? Anybody want to be in front of me?"

Two tentatively raised their hands. Ender confronted them. "Why?"

A boy in a baseball hat responded, "Because you're in charge. A hero. I want to be around you."

"And you?" Ender whirled on the other hand-raiser.

"What he said, I guess."

Ender smiled at the remaining pawn. "You're mine. Over here, Moraine? I want Meg to be with you." He stepped over to the last empty square. "This yours, Jennifer?"

"It's Jennifer _T_," the boy in the baseball hat grinned.

Ender narrowed his eyes. "How do you know?"

"She keeps going on about it. When she's not trying to prove that I know nothing about baseball."

"Well, what do you say to a guy who thinks the Dodgers won the World Series last year?" Jennifer T turned to Ender.

"They did! I'm telling you!"

"The World Series?" asked Jimmy Blake.

"Y'know, like the championship?"

Jimmy guffawed. "_Brooklyn_ won a championship?"

This silenced both Jennifer T and Benny, her debater, as they stared quizzically at Jimmy and then each other.

"Benny, you're her pawn, I suppose."

Ender returned to his own square, and began to prepare a plan.

Meanwhile, the dark side was getting seriously busy preparing its very large and controversial team.

"Are we ready?"

"Yah!"

"Are we going to win?"

"Yah!"

"LET'S KICK SOME LIGHT A$$!"

"Yah!"

"Leeetttt's Heeeeaaaar IIIIIItttttt!"

"DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! ..."

"Take your places..."

"DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! ..."

"I said, 'TAKE YOUR PLACES'!"

"DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! ..."

"EVERYONE GET IN YOUR SPOTS NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE OBLITERATED!"

"DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK!"

"If you want to win, we need to get on the board..."

"Aaah. Aaah... DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK! ..."

"I think we'll be here a while..."

"DARK! DARK! DARK! DARK!"


	3. The Game

Note: (( and )) denote "thoughtspeak".

As Takhisis attempted to control her pieces, Ender made his first move. He had no idea what his opponents would expect him to play. Snippets of conventional wisdom floated through his head…well, those were things _not_ to do.

"Reepicheep. Go in front of Jimmy."

"Yes, my liege!" Reepicheep strutted out.

The game was on.

Hours later Takhisis had finally gotten her pieces on the board. A brief set up: from the dark's left to right: Dakar, Lucius Malfoy, Darth Vader, The Nameless, Takhisis, Tigerstar, Tybalt, and Raistlin Majere. The pawns were, in the same order, Thread, Jonnard, Wolfjackals, The 4 sisters, Chromatic Dragons, Hulls, The Ice Witch, and Winterking.

Takhisis moved the 4 sisters up one square…

"Jonas," Ender whispered, "can you go up?"

"How far?"

"Two…" Wouldn't one do? Couldn't he protect the kid a little bit? "Two squares."

Jonas nodded, face white, and stepped ahead.

"Finally!" Takhisis roared, even though Ender had only taken a little bit of time. She moved herself in the vacated spot left by the 4 sisters.

Ender looked over at Hulls and breathed a sigh of relief, but not for long.

"Mr. Wiggin?" the mountaineer asked him.

"Yes?"

"My knight is now in mortal danger from the opposing queen. May I please interpose myself?"

"You may…" How had he missed that?

"No!" Reepicheep squeaked. "Avenge me."

"…And then get himself killed by the bishop?" Rachel laughed.

"Reepicheep. Go ahead, two and one to the right," Ender sternly ordered.

He trotted out.

"4 sisters. Move up another one."

"FINE!"

"All right!" Rachel exulted.

"Good," Ender nodded approvingly. "You're learning."

"Take that icy thing _down_!"

"Uh…not quite. Reepicheep, take the pawn to your right."

Reepicheep gallantly walked over to Hulls' square and poked it with his tiny sword.

"Say check."

"Check!"

"Not quite… HULLS… DO YOUR THING!"

Nine of the Hulls appeared and surrounded Reepicheep. One pulled back its hood, revealing a skeletal face. It reached for its sword with a bone-white hand. The others drew their swords as well. Then the leader stopped reaching for his sword and began to chant. There was a flash of light that reflected off the drawn swords, and Reepicheep fell over, dead.

"What dishonor is this?" the mountaineer infuriately asked.

"They're not playing by the rules," Ender shrugged.

"So neither will we!" Rachel became exhilarated.

Ender stared out at Jonas silently.

"4 sisters, you can take that measly _pawn._"

"Now some action!"

Jonas turned back to Ender. "Look away," Ender instructed his team.

"Oh, and you're going to watch?" Rachel stuck out her chin.

"Yes, I am." Ender was not in a joking mood.

"Don't you have anything to say?" Meg rounded on Ender.

"I can't apologize. I can't."

"Wait, you just…kill me?" Jonas asked. "No…euphemism or anything?"

The four sisters surrounded Jonas. Suddenly he felt a wave of nausea hit him. He felt so sad. His body began to shut down…

"You think they know _en passant_?" Melinda asked.

"I won't risk it," Ender replied. "Moraine, Rachel, any way for you to get out of where you are without passing those…things?"

"You'd have to move this boy here," Moraine said.

"Okay. Benny, two forward."

"See you," Jennifer T. muttered, trying to keep it quiet.

He nodded, touching his cap.

"Wolfjackals, now is your time. Move two up."

"Grrrrrr. Bark bark. Grrrr."

Rachel laughed. "Idiots!"

"No." Ender sagged his shoulders. "They're too good. Remember when Reepicheep tried to take the pawn? They have some trick. Rachel…"

"Yes _sir_."

"Take the pawn in front of you."

"Sure." She shrugged and walked up to the square in front of the four sisters, where she morphed a grizzly bear and sank her claws into the sisters. Claiming the square, she demorphed. ((Ha-ha! Dark butt kickage!))

The four sisters momentarily disappeared, but soon reappeared on Takhisis' square. Only three were left. Takhisis disappeared.

"Anybody care to explain how we pulled that off?" Selenity looked stunned.

"Well," Melinda shrugged, "maybe there was a cloning machine…"

"Involving deon…"

Suddenly there was a bright flash and out of Takhisis' beginning square a large five headed dragon emerged. Each dragon head had a different color, red, blue, green, black and white. "YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME SO EASILY? I'LL SHOW YOU!" She roared.

"Well, there's a lot to be said for girl power," Rachel commented.

"GIRL! GIRL! I AM NO GIRL, YOU PATHETIC _HUMAN_!"

"Human?" Rachel started into her elephant morph.

"The men were strong as well, you know, before the tainting of _saidin_," Moraine started before realizing that nobody was listening to her.

During the meantime, the four sisters, Nameless, Hulls and Tigerstar were moving to the far edges of their squares. "I'm not after _you_. Dragons, move up in front of that rogue queen."

((Better a rogue than an evil dragon thing,)) Rachel held her ground.

"You can't even speak. Of course, that may be because I _am_ a _GOD_…"

"Noren, up one," Ender quickly replied before Rachel could.

"Why?" The pawn turned to face his king.

"Because that's the move I want to make."

"And why should your move be the one we make?"

"Because I'm the king."

((So? Their queen's in charge,)) Rachel retorted.

"Why are you the king?" Noren continued.

"Because I was appointed to be the king."

"Who appointed you to be the king?"

((Not me,)) Rachel rolled her eyes.

"You know, that I inferred."

((If you reach the other side of the board,)) Rachel whispered conspiratorially, ((you get promoted.))

"You're just trying to get me to move up…you're in this with _him_, aren't you?" Noren challenged. "Or maybe you're trying to get me to _not_ move up…" He tentatively placed one of his feet over the line.

"Do you want him to get into the strategy behind the move?" Melinda suggested.

"Yeah, that would help."

"Pass this on." Melinda produced a computer chip containing information. It went from her to Jennifer to Moraine to Ender up to Noren, who began to read it.

"I want to see!" Selenity exclaimed.

Melinda e-mailed it over to him.

"Hmm, okay." Noren stepped up.

"Wolfjackals, Grrr. Ruff Bark."

"Grrrr. Bark bark. Grrrrrrr."

The wolfjackals lunged for the pawn . The pack of ten allowed their leader to grab him by the throat and rip out his organs, scattering them throughout the square. The leader to the head and ate it while the rest of the pack fed…

"How could you let that happen?" Jennifer T asked indignantly while hoping the blue of Benny's Dodgers hat would give the wolfjackals blood poisoning.

Ender didn't meet her angered gaze. "Moraine, go four squares out."

"You gonna be okay?" she said gently. Her pawn was throwing up.

"No," Jennifer T. looked down sullenly.

Moraine reluctantly walked to b5. "Check."

"Why did she make such a stupid move? Oh well, Hulls, move up a square…"

"Moraine?" Ender called.

She twitched. "There's no possible…"

"I know. I just…" No emotion. "Rachel, diagonally up and left one."

Rachel tried to do this as an elephant, but lumbered so slowly that she finally demorphed and walked normally.

"Finally, here's my chance." Takhisis moved herself up two squares.

Ender and Moraine stared at each other for a second.

"Behind me?" Moraine mouthed.

Ender nodded. "If you want a chance to die, you may be getting it soon. Forward two."

"That doesn't matter." Takhisis threw a cloud of magic into Rachel's square. None of the white team could see anything, but a high piercing scream echoed around the board. "Now is the time for my fun." The cloud lifted and Rachel could be seen, bent over double, clutching her stomach. Takhisis reared up onto her hind legs. Streams of red magic flowed from her body and into Rachel's belly. They didn't seem to kill though, just make her hurt. "You will die nice and slow, and before you die, it will be said how you begged for me to kill you and get it over with." Takhisis took a step forward, a magical knife appearing in her claws. She lunged it into Rachel's abdomen and sent in more magic.

Rachel strained to morph the grizzly, but Takhisis' magic prevented her. "Do you want me to stop…it?" Moraine asked kindly.

"No you won't human girl. If I wasn't constrained by the rules you can only attack once… as it is, I'll have fun with you too…" But Takhisis sent a blue wall of magic to the side of the square anyway.

"N-no…" Rachel tried to stammer, but realized it was useless.

"Why do you have to do that?" Meg asked outraged.

"Well, she's been an annoying twerp all match, she thinks she has power she doesn't have, she is mortal _and_ good, and she is the most powerful piece on the opposing team. I say I have a very good reason to do this. Besides, this is how I kill things." The black dragon head from Takhisis' current form breathed a cloud of green gas onto Rachel's head. Rachel coughed. The white dragon aimed at her legs, a white cloud enveloping them. When the cloud dissipated, Rachel was sitting on the ground, her legs frozen in place. Tears streaked her face, she could no longer scream because of the fumes in her lungs. A burning sensation racked her whole body. But she still wouldn't die. A yellowish liquid erupted from Takhisis, and the red dragon breathed on it. It was cooking oil, and it was burning Rachel's clothes. With her last breath she screamed, "I ... will ... nev...er... give ...up!" Rachel disappeared from the square and Takhisis took her place.

Ender clenched his teeth. "Go," he commanded the pawn and nodded towards Takhisis.

"Oh yah? I can't die. You forgot, I'm a _GOD_. Doesn't that make sense?" But it was too late. The unfortunate pawn walked into Takhisis' square. With a twist of its head, the blue dragon sent a bolt of lightning into its chest. It died a moment later.

Ender, shocked, sat down on his square to assess the situation.

"Well, that was your turn. Now let's see how you like to die..." Takhisis moved into Moraine's square, her green dragon head spurting poison gas with the black dragon, killing Moraine from the inside out. The white dragon decided that it would have some fun too, freezing her legs and vocal cords so that she could neither move or scream. She had reached for the One Power, hoping to balefire Takhisis to oblivion, but the god's magic had severed her, the ultimate humiliation. She died a full ten minutes later, her agony apparent only from her eyes.

Ender could not control his appearance any longer. Only a kid, he waved to Anakin. "C-come up and right. One. By me..."

Anakin did so, whipping out his lightsaber.

"Wolf barks. Grr. Grr. Grrrr!"

"Bark. Grrr. Grrllw!"

The wolfjackals moved up a square.

"Kill those dog – things!" Jennifer roared.

"They come back to life," Meg reminded her.

"Yeah, but not here. Remember the ones Rachel took?"

"Remember the one Reepicheep 'took'?" Meg made quotes in the air. "Or the Dragon Queen?"

"Do it, El Gato! Go for the goal!"

At this the solemn pawn guffawed so much he was temporally incapacitated.

"Meg," Ender directed.

She moved out, face to face with the wolfjackals.

The wolfjackals growled menacingly.

"Go," Meg stated. "Die. Or away."

The wolfjackals stayed put.

"I'm not moving, so get out."

The lead wolf took a step forward.

"Attack us first," it said.

Meg took off her shoe and threw it to her right, off the board. "Go fetch."

Six of the wolfjackals jumped off the square in chase, but before they reached the shoe disappeared to the square they started on.

"You must kill one of us..." The leader said.

"I don't ..." she whirled on Ender. "What am I doing here! I can't kill them."

"Or," the leader suggested, "you can take Gruf with you, I s'pose..."

She looked at him quizzically.

"Come on, we'll leave, Gruf, stay here for her answer." The remaining wolfjackals and their leader walked back to their square.

Meg petted Gruf.

"Don't pet!"

"Sorry."

"Alright, you're back, now it's time! CHECK!" Takhisis moved diagonally to the square next to the king.

Check, she'd said, and not mate, which meant there was some move left. There was no room to interpose, and any other square he could move to would be equally threatened. If this was it, he would end it on his own terms.

"Noren!"

"What?"

"If the game goes on ... without me, you're calling the moves."

"We can make a game tree!" Selenity and Melinda called.

"No. Noren's in charge."

Ender stepped over the line, and extended a hand to Takhisis.


	4. The Revolution

While the pieces were playing on the board above, the dark's back up pieces were waiting below. 

"When is someone going to die?" Voldemort complained.

"Yah, if they don't start being slaughtered, I'll slaughter them myself!" The Ilse Witch added.

"Patience, that's the key," Kludd rebuked. "You can get anyone with patience."

"I'm not patient, you filthy owl."

"Maybe we can trick them into thinking we're helping," Dr. Madden suggested.

"Like we'll trick a _GOD_." The Ilse Witch complained.

"No, we need to destroy her."

"Um ... Master?" Crabbe walked up to Voldemort, bowing. "Raistlin the Rook destroyed Takhisis in his story."

"Then she isn't a god! Crabbe, grab me my wand!"

"Well," he said, still bowing, "you need to have the portal to kill her."

"THEN BRING ME THE PORTAL!" Voldemort roared.

"Yes master," Crabbe whimpered. He backed away.

"Um, Crabbe?" Goyle asked.

"What?"

"How are you going to get to Krynn?"

"I dunno? Why don't you figure it out?"

"I'm not assigned to the task. Ask someone else!"

"But they're all evil!"

"That's the point."

"Oh. Can someone get me to the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas on Krynn?"

"Oh, did I not give you the ability to carry out my orders? That's too bad. Goyle, come here."

"Yes Master?"

"Get me my cauldron. Crabbe, get my wand, some Wolfsbane and some Flobberworm mucus. NOW!"

"Yes Master," they chorused.

"Someone, ah, Mr. Madden, come here and build me a fire."

"Why?"

"Do you want any action?"

Dr. Madden light a match and tried to light a chair on fire.

"No, with magic!"

"I don't have magic, I have science."

"Worthless Muggle, get out of my way! When Crabbe brings my wand ... ah there he is..."

Crabbe handed the wand to his master. Voldemort pointed the wand at a desk and it burst into flames. At that moment Goyle appeared with the cauldron.

"Just set it on the flames." Goyle complied. Just as Goyle stepped back from the cauldron, a stream of water erupted from the end of Voldemort's wand.

"Ingredients!" he snapped. Crabbe stepped up with the ingredients. Voldemort grabbed them in an annoyed way and tossed them in the cauldron.

An hour later Voldemort had finished the potion. "Crabbe, Goyle and let's see, you'll do since you know the world Maddoc... Come here!" Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward, but Maddoc hung back. "I will not drink your filthy potion to get to my own world. I'll be there myself, just give me the coordinates."

"You'll do as I say!" Voldemort exploded.

"No, and your wands and potions are bogus. I have real magic. From the moons. Watch." And Maddoc disappeared from view.

"Impressive," Crabbe whispered to Goyle. Voldemort held up a hand.

"And don't try any magic," a voice said, "because it smells like crazy and gives a very noticeable trail."

Voldemort roared. "I'll get you, you pathetic human. You don't have half the power you think you have!"

"Are you sure it's not you who's overestimated your powers?"

Voldemort would have responded, but some strange magic prevented him from talking. His mouth moved, but no words came out.

"Do you have no answer? Oh, you've been rendered speechless by my brilliance. I'm better than you!"

Voldemort cast a wild look around. "To prove it, why don't you _bow_?" Voldemort bowed as though a hand had pushed him over.

"Do not mess with what you don't understand. You can't defend against it. The powers of the moons have won along with the wisdom of _moi_. I'll do a favor for you, but don't expect anymore, you pathetic twerp." A large old portal with five multi-colored dragon heads appeared in the middle of the room.

"I won't release you though, just steal the idea. From now on I lead this revolution. What do you say?"

The rest of the pieces began to chant, "DARK! DARK! DARK! ..."


	5. The Death

"Did I forget to say a word Ender? I meant check _MATE_!" 

He nodded arrogantly. "Yah, you did forget."

Suddenly a noise began to filter through from the floor: DARK! DARK! DARK!...

"Do you need your own personal fan club to take a little kid?" Ender made a fist while trying to figure out how to win a one-on-one fight with a god.

"Do you really think so? No, I'll kill you soon enough, after I figure out what's going on..."

Ender walked around the edge of the square until Takhisis' tail was within reach and yanked on it. The blue head whipped around the left side of the body just as the red whipped around the right, the black went over the top and the white came up underneath. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you. Just wait and see. I think there's something wrong."

Ender kept pulling. Takhisis pulled her tail back and a blue cage appeared around Ender. "Wait. Something's really wrong!" Takhisis muttered

Ender reached his hand forward between the bars, but a snap of blue lightning sprung from the cage, rendering it useless. "Not getting you anywhere..." Takhisis muttered.

Ender might have had a chance to respond, had a huge gold portal with five dragon heads on it not appeared in his square. He looked at it quizzically. Takhisis looked at it in horror. Ender noticed that the cage walls were fading. Now they were just a light blue. Something was happening in the portal. A figure ... had he seen it before? Was standing inside it. He held up a staff, and a moment later, he could see why: Takhisis was roaring, coming after him. The mage, for that was why he was, surely, sent a bolt of power strait at Takhisis. With that, he saw why the figure was familiar, he was the opposing team's rook. But the power seemed to do nothing to Takhisis, just edge her out of the portal too. Then he chanced a look at the real Takhisis, only to see that she was fading too. The cage around him had disappeared now, and he was free, but he still stared transfixed as the scene before him unfolded. In the meantime, the two figures were fighting. The mage's blows seemed to actually be hurting the god now, and Takhisis' responses grew less and less powerful. Then, suddenly both Takhisises disappeared and so did the portal and mage. Ender looked over at the rook who had been in the portal; he was crying.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, somewhat unnecessarily, across the board, "Your move."


	6. The Return

Back on the dark side, everyone was thrown into chaos as several more pieces came up. Three were carrying wands, one of which was bone white and wearing a black hood. The other one was wearing a black robe with the hood down and strutting like he owned the place. They all moved into a dark square and attacked. The first piece to fall was the rook who had not been at the portal. Soon after fell the king. Finally the two icy things that were on the left side of the board fell, and the two burly wand carriers moved in, standing side-by-side. The rook called out, "Sister's, move up one." 

Ender stared in astonishment at the board. He paced his square, almost unable to believe Takhisis was no longer there. But he had to make his own move.

_Do what they least expect..._

Very casually, he walked back to the square he had come from.

"Okay, Jonnard, go up one," the strange rook commanded.

"Jennifer, come -"

"Jennifer _T,_" she corrected him.

"-up," Ender quickly realized it would not work to say "in front of me." He didn't want to give the illusion that he needed protection. "next to Anakin."

She jogged onto the designated square.

"Vader, move diagonally to your left one."

"Why are you in charge?"

"Because I headed the revolution and beat that king there." The pieces turned their attention to Voldemort, who was standing in the king's square. He looked almost like a zombie, there, but not there.

"Alright ..." Darth Vader marched over to the square, ending with a twirl of his shoulders and cloak.

Ender nodded approvingly, "Left one, Melinda."

"Hold on, let me save..." she pressed a button and moved.

"Move up two, Thread." The strange things had a hard time moving; they had eaten a hole in the wood they were standing on.

"Oh why not," Ender sighed. "Jennifer _T_," He emphasized sarcastically, "up two, over one."

She did, attacking four opposing pawns at once.

"Thread, up one more." It left another hole in its wake.

Meg shivered at the blobs.

"Up one more, Meg," Ender tried to say reassuringly.

"Thread, another one." We really don't need to get back into the holes...

Jennifer T. looked back at Ender, "Please?"

"Sure."

Sprinting past Meg, she landed on Thread's square.

"Kill them with fire," Maddoc said. "but only one, or you _die_!"

"What are you helping me for?"

"You need to take them, so I'm just making it so it works. I don't have all day. Hurry up now!"

"Jimmy ... Blake ... person? Do you have two baseball bats I could rub together?"

Jimmy stared out at her with an expression that said "one of us is an idiot."

Luckily, Melinda was able to press buttons that created a dangerous, if entirely pixelated fireball. The fireball, though great on the computer screen, never reached the Thread.

"Reboot?" suggested Selenity.

"We need to kill these things," Jennifer T grew impatient.

"Hurry up, we haven't got all day!" Maddoc complained.

"Co-secant theta ..." Selenity muttered. "Sir ... whoever you are? Could you reflect light off you shield and light a fire?"

"I'd rather use flint!" he produced a slab.

Jennifer T resisted using some very choice language as she knelt down and worked. Soon one of the blobs caught fire and the rest disappeared to their first hole.

"Vader, move four to your left diagonally. Then say check."

"Check," he boomed.

Ender stepped forward next to Anakin, who was examining Vader with curiosity.

"Goyle, up one!"

Goyle bowed and walked forward.

Ender walked to Noren's right and tapped his fist nervously.

"Hulls, go up one too."

Riding their horses, they complied.

"Okay," Ender took a deep breath. "Selenity. Over one."

Backing up his files, he did so.

"Tigerstar, to the right one and up one."

"Mrwll!"

"Jennifer T, back to where you were."

"But Melinda's there."

"I mean to Meg's left."

"Oh, okay." She went.

"Dragons, up one. They can't talk, so I'll say check for them."

Ender's tongue hung out from his mouth as he thought. When he came up with a move, he pulled it back in. "Noren. Up."

"Why?" came the predicted response.

"Be... why not?"

"Because they can attack there."

"So?"

"So I don't want to be attacked."

"You shouldn't have come here."

"I didn't choose to be your pawn."

"I didn't choose to be your king."

Noren moved.

"Wolfjackals. Up two."

"That was stupid..." Jennifer T rolled her eyes.

"Please don't turn into Rachel," Ender clenched his teeth, whether in anger  
at Jennifer T's ignorance or Maddoc's intelligence it was impossible to  
tell.

After a pause, he squeezed his eyes shut. "Meg? I'm s-certain your best move  
is to face those dogs again."

"Then you're a moron," Noren said offhandedly.

"Thanks."

"It's too late to be defensive."

Inwardly, Ender admitted Noren was right. "Okay," Ender said. "Jennifer T... go ahead." He pointed towards the sisters.

Arrogantly, she marched to their square and spat at them.

A red dragon came forward, but it didn't look the same as the ones from the dragon square. It was bigger, and had spikes on its head and knee joints.

"To destroy the sister, you must get through me!" it roared.

"Jimmy ... baseball bats?"

He shook his head.

Jennifer T concentrated and tried to scamper behind the dragon. The dragon disappeared. Jennifer T. pounded a sister with her fist and all three disappeared. A square in front of her, two of the sisters reappeared.

"Wolfjackals, can you take the pawn to your right?"

"Grrr!"

This time the wolfjackals were more controlled, and only ate Noren's heart before leaving him to rot.

"Check," Maddoc yelled.

Ender solemnly moved another square forward.

"Jonnard, up one. Say check."

"Check," Jonnard said in a bored voice.

Ender continued his trek up the board.

"Malfoy, Up two and one to the left. Say check."

"Check."

Ender moved onto the sixth rank, next to Jennifer T.

Maddoc himself moved over three.

"Check!" he exclaimed.

Meg sat down on her square. Ender ignored her and stepped diagonally up and to the right.

"Malfoy, up one, to the right three. Say check." Maddoc pronounced in a very bored manner.

"Check," Malfoy whispered hoarsely.

Ender stepped backwards and right without turning around.

"Vader, up two, right two."

He marched ahead.

Ender instinctively prepared to move out of check, but then realized he wasn't in it. "Jennifer T, up next to the cat and say 'Check'." She obliged.

"Dragons, up one."

Ender paced the square edgily. All he had was the element of surprise...

He hopped onto Jonnard's square. He hit Jonnard on the back of the head, and the boy fell over. As he hit the floor of the square, he disappeared. Two squares in front of Ender, a thin, muscular cat wearing a chain of dog's teeth appeared. "Mrrl!" it yowled.

"Hello Bloodstar," Maddoc greeted. "I'm sorry, but I can't move you now, but you'll help. Thread, move up one. I'll say it: CHECK!"

Ender walked forward again.

"Malfoy, two in front of Thread. Say check."

"Check," he yawned.

Ender backed up and to the right, skirting the hole Thread had made. Suddenly the dark's pale king lurched forward as though pushed. Drool dribbled down his chin and his eyes were out of focus. Then he continued going until he was on the left of the two sisters.

"Anakin, go in front of the kni – the nice guy you're next to."

Laughing, he did.

"Dragons, take the play-knight."

"How dare you call me-"

A red dragon lunged at him and broke his neck. The knight disappeared.

Ender rolled his eyes. "Won't miss him. Melinda, in front of those dragons."

She slid over and waved to Selenity. He grinned back.

"Vader, go back to your right one." He marched into place.

Ender whirled on Lucius and kicked him in the shin.

"OW!" Malfoy yelled. He clutched his leg to his chest. Ender stepped back and aimed for the groin. "YOUCH!" Malfoy let go of his leg to hold his crotch and fell to the ground. He disappeared. In the square next to Maddoc, an evil-looking man appeared carrying a short sword.

"Dragons, take the rook" They moved forward, a blue dragon zapping Selenity on the way. "You are now a queen. Congrats, fellows!"

Melinda tapped feverishly at her terminal. "I thought you said it would work!"

"Left, Melinda," Ender said.

She moved, and immediately began grabbing the spare drives that scattered the square. She threw one at the dragons. It hit a small green one with a stunted wing in the head. The entire body of dragons disappeared, and forty-nine of them appeared on the square next to Jennifer T.

"Take the knight now," Maddoc instructed the newly crowned queen. They moved forward with new rage and tore into her body.

"Up one, Meg." Ender stated coldly. She had lifted her foot when he said, "No, never mind. Melinda, over..." he counted, "Four squares and check."

"Dragons, move diagonally three so you're in front of the king, but up three squares from him." They flew to the spot, now that the crippled green was gone.

"Take them, Meg."

Meg pushed Gruf toward the dragons, hoping he could bite one.

"Whatcha pushin' me for?" The wolfjackal inquired.

"Go k-kill one of the dragons," she stammered.

"Fine, since I'm stuck here ... anyways ..." He lunged forward and grabbed a red by the throat. They both hit the ground and the dragons once again re-appeared on their beginning square.

"Now over one, Dragons."

A white rolled its eyes and the group walked over.

"Meg ... ah, never mind. Anakin. Go on the other side of the dogs, a square away from Meg." He walked over.

"Dragons, back to where you were. I made a mistake." They charged over. "Check," Maddoc said.

Ender nodded decisively. "_Now_, Meg, you can go up."

She stepped forward nervously.

"Take the pawn, Dragons." They moved in and a blue snapped Meg with lightning.

"Check," Maddoc whispered.

"Melinda, take and give check."

"What's the point?" But she did, anyway, hurling a wet power cord at the dragons. It hit a black full in the face. It roared, and they moved back.

"Take the rook now." A blue shot lightning at Melinda and she fell over backwards. "Check," Maddoc said hoarsely.

Ender paced sideways.

"Take the bishop next to you." Darth Vader shouted "NOOOO!" just as a black sprayed gas in Anakin's face.

"Che..." Maddoc trailed as a blue light flashed.


	7. The Disobedience

The Disobedience

"...ck." The lights returned to normal and the confused players looked around.

"What the heck?" Crabbe asked. Other similar questions were being asked by other pieces. Then the lights dimmed. Some pieces looked around warily, but some began to yawn. The wolfjackals began to settle in first, yawning, and performing some strange ritual of biting the leader's nose. Crabbe and Goyle fell asleep next, their hands clutching their wands in case of danger. Then more of the dark side: the dragons, Tybalt, Tigerstar, Bloodstar, and Capricorn; all lay down on their squares, some using clothing as blankets. Next Jimmy Blake and El Gato fell asleep, the later tossing and turning though somehow managing to remain within the confines of his square.

Finally all the sentient beings but Maddoc and Ender were asleep. They looked at each other, and then at the sleeping pieces. Ender stepped to his right.

"Well, _I _can't do anything," Maddoc said. "My pieces are all asleep."

"You can do many things."

"It doesn't matter..." A glowing figure began to appear. Suddenly there was a flash of light and a blue, four-legged thing appeared in the square that Vader had previously occupied. The other pieces began to wake up, and stretch out.

"Ender, you moved!" El Gato said.

"...so I did." Ender unconsciously looked at the bishop that had of course been there since the beginning of the game. He remembered Rachel's reaction...

The Dark team felt that it should have had an easier time finding a bishop for the black squares than it did. Eventually, it claimed one, and began organizing him along with the rest.

Rachel dallied on her square, watching the Dark team try to line up.

"Taking them long enough..." She peered towards the back row and noticed a tail blade swinging dangerously. "Ender?"

"What?" he snapped out of his concentration.

She pointed towards the Andalite-controller. "I call that guy."

Maddoc, meanwhile, was looking around at his now-awake pieces. "Bloodstar, move up two,"

Yowling, the cat complied.

"El Gato, one."

He silently slinked forward.

The king once again stumbled forward, to his left. He fell into his square, unable to hold himself upright. He coughed, and blood spattered across the square.

"I could end this game in two moves, if I wanted. But cats love to play with their mice..." Maddoc taunted.

"Lucky El Gato's on our team then." Jimmy moved up two at Ender's word.

"Wolfjackals, up one."

They barked and leaped ahead.

"Do you believe in honor?" Ender posed an odd question that El Gato did not respond to. He stepped backward.

"Continue, until you get to the back row, wolfjackals, one a turn..."

They continued energetically.

"Don't do it," Ender warned. "Up one, El Gato."

"Wolfjackals, I take that back. Bloodstar, take the goalie."

He slashed El Gato in the neck, and the pawn disappeared.

Ender hopped forward almost eagerly.

"Now you can queen yourselves." They bounded forward energetically, each receiving a crown as they reached the square. They howled in delight.

"Check, um, Ender? Is it _mate?_"

"You're asking me? Jimmy, get off the board."

"What?"

"Off." Ender pointed left. Eyes wide, Jimmy stepped down.

"What in Krynn are you doing?" Maddoc swore.

"We're not in Krynn."

"Just tell me what the h is going on."

"You won, didn't you?" Ender moved left and began a straight away sprint at Maddoc.

"I suppose one of us couldn't have avoided being made a sacrifice. It's a pity. Had Takhisis not already put you in such a bad position, I would probably have seen a more worthy opponent. I have enjoyed thrashing you." And Maddoc lifted his hands and began to mutter. The other dark pieces, seeing that Ender no longer played by the basic rules, split up. Half jumped off the board to tackle Jimmy Blake, the others circled Ender, causing him to stop his sprint. He tried to find a way around them, but they had him surrounded. They herded him towards Maddoc, to await his commands. Another ring of dark pieces, surrounding Jimmy, came from the other side of the board. Maddoc had closed his eyes, and was still muttering.

"What do you want with them?" Crabbe asked hesitantly. Next to him were two red dragons, and that was all that was stopping Ender from getting to Maddoc. Suddenly, Maddoc finished the spell. He released the power, opened his eyes, and stared in shock.

"Stupid!" he roared. A huge fireball had erupted from his fingers, and gone straight at the pieces. Red dragons are immune to fire. Crabbe, however, was not. The fireball hit him with such force that he fell over backwards, burning. He fell into Ender, who was still trying to escape, and they both went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Both pieces disappeared.

"Let the pawn go, we don't need him," Maddoc whispered wearily. Then he fell over, exhausted.

Jimmy touched the stones of the wall tentatively, hoping that they would open up to let him escape. It didn't work.

"Now what?" asked Raistlin. "I never moved!"

"Neither did I," Tybalt complained.

"We didn't even get to come up there!" a muffled voice exclaimed. "Quit your complaining. At least you got to watch."

"We're still bored. How do we get home When will he wake up?"

"At least your team is still _alive_!" Jimmy joined.

"Not our fault, well, maybe, it is..."

"So, what _do_ we do?"

"I guess we just wait."

"How long?"

"However long it takes."

"That could be a while." Jimmy decided to speed up the process by trying to revive Maddoc. He walked around the perimeter to Maddoc's square and spat on him. Nothing happened.

"Okay then." Jimmy sat down on the thin border separating the board from the boundaries, and twiddled his thumbs.


	8. The Prophet

The Prophet 

Four hours later, Maddoc woke up. "What are you all doing?" he asked.

"Waiting to go home."

"Being bored."

"Waiting for you to wake up to tell us what to do."

"Why? Couldn't you just leave?"

"There's no way out."

"Thread, move all the way across the board. Then eat." A while later Thread had eaten a hole which revealed a dark expanse. A red star glowed in the distance. The Thread fell through, and traveled towards the star. Next there was a planet that looked a little like earth, but it had a white and red moon circling it instead. Several pieces came from below, (about another chess team in all) having found a trap door in Thread's old square. The dragons, Raistlin, and Maddoc jumped through. Next planet was also earth-like. The Shadow Lord and the remaining two sisters left here. Another earth-like world, where the Hulls got off. The next was cartoonish, and looked a lot like earth, but one continent was labeled "Duloc," and another "Far Far Away." There the Fairy Godmother left. Finally earth appeared, and most of the team left. Draco Malfoy, Bloodstar, Basta, wolfjackals, Jonnard, Dr. Madden, Goyle, Capricorn, Tybalt, Kludd, Tigerstar, Isabella, Visser Three, Brennard and Voldemort all left through the portal.

"Wait!" Jimmy Blake called. "Wait for me!" He jumped just in time before the world changed. This time the world re-arranged itself, it had two main supercontinents. The final players, the Ilse Witch and Warlock Lord left to the world. And the pieces were gone.

Back at the chess board, a siren blared, "Warning! This board will be destroyed in 3, 2, 1!"

KABOOOOOOM! The chess board exploded, then disappeared. The game was over.

Engrossed in a book, Tragedies of the Alps, Flynn failed to notice his teammate materialize from a fissure. Jimmy looked down at the caption on the page forty-three, "Disappeared before beginning his climb," and the picture across from it. "From different times..."

"What?" asked a startled Flynn.

No wonder they'd been surprised when he'd mentioned Brooklyn. Jimmy had the power to change the future of his team. He would have to phrase his message carefully. Opportunities like this only came around once every few millennia.


	9. The Rematch

"Okay guys, you need to get in your spots. Let me find that chart..." Charlie addressed the light's new chess team. "It's in here somewhere... Ah, here we go." From a black binder, he pulled out a diagram showing where the pieces would go. He walked across the board, to the pawn's square furthest from the queen.

"Jasmine!" he called. Then he turned around and walked towards the other side of the board along the pawn line. "Bluestar, Soren, Jason, Lessa, Maerad, Cho, Ellen!" He walked down until he was standing in the rook's square and noticed the pieces were still standing in a confused bunch. "Go ahead and move!" he told them. The pieces moved into their squares, still looking a little confused.

"Sindri," he walked back across the board, "Sir Dinadan, Rachel, Kendall," he paused in a square, then moved on, "me, Deja, Holly, and Ember." Then he walked back around the pieces into his own square. "I'm Charlie Eppes, and I will be your king this match." he said. "Let's see: Does anyone know where the dark team is?"

_He sounds like a teacher already_, thought something that no one could see.

"Do we need the dark team?" asked the bishop standing on a black square.

"Well, they need to see the first move."

"They'll figure it out. The moved piece will be the only one which is in front of the row of pawns."

"Yes, well, okay. Jason, move up two." He removed a Post-It from the chart in his hands and placed back down. The dark-haired boy looked confused, but walked nonchalantly to the desired square. The game had begun.

An extraterrestrial paced nervously on its square. Nestled in the corner, it declared firmly, "Let's get this over with."

An irregularly large man standing in front of him produced a chess clock. "I am the official referee. I can declare us the winners."

"That wouldn't be right," worried a girl two squares down from the alien.

"Right? May I remind you that we are on the _evil_ team?" an ugly creature with superficial resemblance to both prunes and dinosaurs, in front of the girl, sneered.

But before she could respond, she was approached by a young man. "Excuse me, ma'am, is this your square?"

She nodded.

"Oh. Dear. I was planning on occupying it."

"There's another bishop's square over there," she pointed eagerly.

"Er, I would have preferred to stand on _this _one. It's..."

"White?"

"So it is."

"Have we established that we are the _bad_ guys?" the pawn repeated.

"I prefer "misinterpreted"."

Ashleigh remained reluctant to move.

Asmodean shook his head. "I'm being so rude. Let me be a gentleman." He strolled off towards the other bishop's square.

"Oh, you didn't have to sacrifice that for me...ah...oh well?" Asleif directed her attention towards the square to her right, where two brothers were engaged in a serious argument.

"You couldn't take anything, you weakling!"

"Here's the deal," Sirrus grinned, "You can be the knight when I'm taking, and to be fair, being taken. Otherwise me."

"Eh, okay," Achenar accepted grudgingly. He sat down outside the board as Sirrus took the square.

But he, too, would quickly leave it, to inspect the remaining pawns and claim the best for himself. "Mr...Macnair?"

The man addressed grinned. "At your service." Lugging an ax with him, he stepped next to the Drode.

"Hey, get out of the way, dude." A fireball attempted to pass Asmodean up.

"Excuse me, this is my square."

"I'm gonna be in front of you. Move it."

"You pose a risk to my square..." Asmodean knelt down. Indeed, the board was made of wood. This was not a comforting thought.

A boy noticed Trogdor. "Hey. You. Torch the board just enough so that this punk can't burn it _again_."

"I do not _torch_..." he replied arrogantly, "I BURNINATE! But if you wish..." Fire erupted from his mouth, scalding the squares.

Sparky edged past Asmodean.

"Burninating-person-thingie..." Andy Mitchell continued, "you can be my pawn."

A horseman galloped up between Andy and Asmodean. "Ready to cause havoc?"

An abominable snowman nodded.

"You should probably get between those two?" The rider pointed to the pyromaniacs.

He nodded and moved to the designated location.

A ferret approached another adolescent girl. "Would I be correct in assuming you are the queen?"

She nodded.

"I suppose I'll be your pawn. I've been beaten to the fringe spots, and I don't want to be the king's...Speaking of which, where is he?"

"The king for this side is just "Nothing"."

"Ah," Zigu said, taking his place in front of her. "How did you know that?"

"I can't really tell you that."

A hydrogen-bomb bounced next to Zigu. "Heya! I'm Ziggy!"

"Zigu."

"I know my own name!"

"I'm telling you mine."

"Zigu?"

"Yes..."

War galloped in front of Sparky, attacking Jason.

"Hmm," Charlie thought. "Soren, move up one." The barn owl wobbled forward, but toppled over. He slowly righted himself then tried to flap, but he was unable to leave the ground.

"Here!" Ellen called. She dug in her knapsack and found a stick. She tossed it to Soren's square. Deja placed Soren on the stick, reaching over the boarder of their squares. He took off and hovered, looking for a way to land.

_Maybe Digger would have been the better choice, _the unknown spectator thought of the burrowing owl and his ability to walk on land.

_Briar? _Deja thought _Can you help me?_ But of coarse there was no answering plant magic to right the stick. So she made a metal cap out of the living metal on her hand and screwed it on the end. Then she threw it and the stick stayed upright. Soren landed, looking a little embarrassed.

Ziggy moved forward two squares and grinned at Jason.

Charlie picked up another Post-It and placed it down. "Cho, go up one." She blinked then strolled forward.

Zigu brandished his rapier and moved next to Ziggy. Then he turned around. "What did I do that for?"

"I dunno," Ziggy answered honestly.

"Jason, you can take the ferret." The small boy drew forth a crystal and a bright light like a sword appeared. It sliced through the ferret's head and the body disappeared. Triumphantly the boy stepped into the vacated square.

War galloped forward and attacked Jason viciously, cutting off his head. Jason disappeared.

"Maerad, move up two." Grumbling, she moved.

War directed his horse to Maerad's left.

"Ellen, up one." She stepped forward tentatively.

War retreated to the square in front of the Drode.

"Bluestar, next to Soren." Charlie commanded. The gray cat yowled and complied.

Asmodean strutted out in front of War.

"Soren, you can move up one." The owl took flight and grabbed the stick in the process. He settled back down.

Ziggy moved another square forward.

"Lessa, go up one too." She walked ahead nervously. The gold dragon that shared her square bugled and followed her.

Asmodean walked purposefully to Holly's square. Seizing the One Power, he killed her, leaving no trace of his action.

"Ember, take him." Charlie responded. Ember stepped forward.

"What do I do? Bore him with a math lecture?"

"You do math too?" Charlie asked.

"Yah. What do I do?"

"Maybe you could use your pencil?" She gripped her pencil and stabbed it into his eye.

"Ow!" He stumbled backwards and disappeared.

Ziggy moved to Lessa's square. The moment he had waited for had finally arrived, even if he would only be wasting it on a pawn. "Ziggy-boogy-doog!"

Instantaneously, both of them disappeared. The ash produced from the explosion drifted in every direction, settling on Maerad's square in particular.

Maerad coughed and fell over.

"UP ONE!" Charlie cried in concern.

She managed to crawl up, but died anyways.

The dark queen, by instinct, began to move towards Kendall before realizing that something was wrong. _Why am I doing this? _she thought. She tried to stop, but it was as if her feet were moving on their own. She started to remember something...

_Who is there. Is that you, Ember? Are you the one in charge of this chess game? Was I in charge of the other team? Do I have to take Kendall? She's one of my favorite characters, and I thought you told me you didn't sacrifice queens!_

Meanwhile, she was still walking towards the square. _Just tell me you need me to, give me a good reason. I don't want to kill her!_

She had reached the square. She stopped. She started to lift her fist... _NOOO! _she thought, _I WILL NOT!_ with the last of her will she turned around and walked back towards her square.

"I don't?" the rook on h1 said to herself. "It's a trade, for one thing. And I want to deny you the right to castle...this isn't working." She let the queen return to her original square.

Andy stepped off his square and began walking to his right. As he crossed from g8 to f8, he disappeared from view for a moment. Then he came back, panting, and fell to his knees.

Charlie looked at Kendall and shrugged. She looked back at him accusingly.

"Why'd you let that happen? I'm the most important piece on this board. We need to win!"

"It's obvious that whomever's in charge there is loosing control. That queen looked like she wanted to take you, but was told not to. But we really need something offensive. I just can't count on their leader to keep you safe. What would you want?"

"To kick their asses." Kendall replied simply.

"Fine, Deja, move two diagonally to your left."

She stepped forward, brandishing her staff and glaring at the other queen.

_What did I do to have my favorites all hate me?_ The distressed queen thought to herself.

Andy recovered enough to take another step to his right. "Check."

Charlie looked at Kendall apologetically. "I think you have one thing wrong, you are the most _powerful_ piece on this board. The king is the most important. Deja, move in front of me."

She stepped backwards without taking her eyes off the opposing queen.

War's horse galloped two squares closer to the light half of the board and one to his left, placing him between the queens.

Charlie looked apologetically at Deja, then at Kendall. "Ember," he called, "Move up one."

The girl looked up, looking deep in thought. "What?"

"Move up," Charlie repeated.

"Oh." She took as step forward.

War moved to Deja's square and pierced her through the chest.

Charlie grimaced and then looked at Ember. "Take it," he told her. Grimly, she nodded. Slowly she walked over two squares and lifted her pencil. Then she decided to do something else, she took her graphing calculator from her pocket and lifted it over her head. The red horse whinnied and bucked backwards. The two fell over and disappeared. Ember stepped into the square.

Ember waved to the rook across the board-like her, it had started on a white square. "You're in charge."

"What!" Charlie asked, stunned and surprised. "You're in charge of their team? You, you..." he couldn't complete his sentence from anger.

"You're in charge." she repeated to the alien. It was too stunned to reply, so she continued. "Rachel! When-" She tried to finish the sentence but no words came out. "Stupid noninterference statutes."

The alien finally replied. "But I hate chess! What do I do?"

"Win." She waved Andy forward. He produced a remote control that directed a robot to topple her off her feet.

"Check," he said casually, sweeping hair out of his face.

Charlie took a deep breath and looked across the board. He noticed that the opposing queen was crying.

"Ember!" She shouted. She sat on her square.

"Kendall," Charlie ignored the other queen, "Take the rook in front of me."

She pulled a stack of chips from her pocket and gave them to Andy. "Have a good time in Pine Valley. Say hi to Zach for me; he's in charge of the casino. Have a good time loosing." He looked at the chips confused then ran off the board.

A pink portal appeared off to the side of the board. Andy stepped through  
and held on to the chips.

Kendall pulled out her cell-phone and dialed. Surprisingly, it still worked.  
"Hi Zach, this is Kendall. I've sent someone to your casino with the old  
chips. Can you take care of him for me? Don't let him know the chips are out  
of date, he may suspect something. Thank you, I'll explain when I get back.  
Love you, bye."

The alien began computations. "Okay, we're just going to finish this. Uh...you?" it asked the queen. "Mind moving in front of Sparky?"

"No, not at all." She stood up and walked over.

"Okay, Kendall, walk over there until you are on the other side. Then say 'Check Mate,'" Charlie whispered.

Kendall took a deep breath and walked over.

"CHECK MATE!" she proclaimed.

"No it isn't!" the alien retorted. It scrutinized its team's queen. "Well...maybe it is."

"What do we do now?" asked a small, childlike being from the light's back corner, his high voice carrying above the rest of the noise.

"Well, they still have to move so Kendall can take their king," Charlie told the kender.

"Well, I could just magic him away," Sindri told him.

"But we're playing chess. You can't 'just magic him away' in chess."

"I still could."

"I thought kender didn't have magic?" The opposing queen asked.

"But I do!" The kender said proudly. "It all started with this prophecy that one of my family would have magic from the sun instead of the moons. My Uncle..."

No one was listening, but the kender rambled on.

"So what do we do?" Kendall asked.

"Like I said, wait for that alien to make his move."

The alien was now more confused than before, which was saying something. "But...I thought it was over?"

"Evidently it isn't," Andy drawled from off the board, "so hurry up."

"But...what do I _do_?"

"Whatever you want."

"I don't want to do anything!...well, maybe we'll get lucky. Take the rook," he instructed the queen.

"But," she stammered, "I don't _want_ to take the rook. He's so _funny_."

"Okay then...come up with a move, and make it."

"Okay," she said nervously. She moved one square to her right so that she was in front of Charlie. "Check," she said.

"Charlie," Kendall asked, "where's their king?"

"I'm not sure," he responded.

"How am I supposed to take a piece you can't see?"

"Well, I _think_ that they castled. So he should be two to your right."

"What if you're wrong?"

"Then we lose."

"So I could technically take their queen and stop that."

"No. You'll be taken and we won't have another chance like this for a while. Take the king."

"So how do I take the thing I can't see?"

"I don't know. Be creative."

"Charlie, I just woke up from a coma. I can't be creative."

"Just think of something. I can't argue with you."

"This is for Zach, if I can ever get back to him." She sucked in her breath and stepped over to the square Charlie specified.

"Get out of here." She commanded.

"How do I know if he's gone?" she asked.

"That rook looked like he could feel him. Can you feel something there?"

"No."

"Then find him!"

Reaching around she felt a shiver run through her. "Is it ... a ghost? Are there such things as ghosts?" She grabbed and pulled. The presence left.

"He's gone, I think."

"Okay, now what?" Suddenly sirens blared. "GAME OVER. GAME OVER. GAME OVER." a voice repeated. A purple portal appeared on the square that was two to Soren's left. "LIGHT TEAM STAY HERE. DARK TEAM GO HOME." The voice said.

"What?" asked Charlie, once again confused.

"LIGHT TEAM..."

"Okay, whatever."

Meanwhile The dark team was moving towards the portal. The pieces jumped through the portal one by one. Finally only the queen was left.

"I don't want to go home either," she said. "I want to talk. You have always been my heroes, and I want to thank you for serving as my team."

"What, you were working for us? How?"

"You didn't kill me!" Sindri exclaimed.

"But why did you want to kill Kendall?"

"I _didn't_ want to kill Kendall. That's why she didn't die."

"But, but... oh, never mind."

"I won't go home with the rest of that team. I will stay here to see what is happening."

"I don't think that you have much choice.

"I think I do." She sat on her square.

"PORTAL CLOSING. PORTAL CLOSING. PORTAL..." The purple portal began to disappear. A green portal appeared in it's place.

"LIGHT TEAM. GO HOME. LIGHT TEAM. GO HOME. LIGHT TEAM..."

The light team eagerly jumped through the portal and went home. The dark's queen stopped Kendall. "Before you go, don't ever lose Zach," she told her.

"I won't," the other queen promised.

They jumped through the portal, side by side.

The fire that had started when Sparky had crossed the board in a fervor sizzled as the board went up in flames.


	10. The Epilogue

Jimmy unfolded the note that he'd read so many times: _Good game-E._

The man that approached him gave an aura of being neither exceptionally old nor young, an adequate description for Jimmy recently. "Blake, right?"

He nodded. "I'm not even going to try to pronounce yours."

He laughed. "Good idea." They walked in silence until Jimmy's visitor finally blurted, "I don't know how to do this. I never met your teams-or for that matter, the others…I don't know who they were."

"You can do research."

"They're from other worlds."

Jimmy looked up at the oncoming stars, shrugging. "So what?"

And Mazer Rackham began to Speak.


End file.
